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| Japanese police raid tunnel operator after collapse | Japanese police raid tunnel operator after collapse |
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| Police in Japan have raided the offices of the operator of a motorway near Tokyo where nine people died after the ceiling of a tunnel collapsed on Sunday. The incident sent hundreds of tonnes of concrete crashing on to passing cars and raised concerns about the country's ageing infrastructure. | Police in Japan have raided the offices of the operator of a motorway near Tokyo where nine people died after the ceiling of a tunnel collapsed on Sunday. The incident sent hundreds of tonnes of concrete crashing on to passing cars and raised concerns about the country's ageing infrastructure. |
| Central Japan Expressway, known as Nexco Central, was being investigated on suspicion of professional negligence after it emerged the firm had conducted only basic safety checks, and had not carried out major repairs to the ceiling of the tunnel since it opened 35 years ago. | Central Japan Expressway, known as Nexco Central, was being investigated on suspicion of professional negligence after it emerged the firm had conducted only basic safety checks, and had not carried out major repairs to the ceiling of the tunnel since it opened 35 years ago. |
| Company officials say the accident could have been caused by ageing bolts used to secure the concrete panels, which aid ventilation, to the tunnel's inner walls. There is also speculation that the bolts had been loosened by earthquakes. The firm said no structural faults had been found when the tunnel underwent rudimentary checks during a routine inspection in September. | Company officials say the accident could have been caused by ageing bolts used to secure the concrete panels, which aid ventilation, to the tunnel's inner walls. There is also speculation that the bolts had been loosened by earthquakes. The firm said no structural faults had been found when the tunnel underwent rudimentary checks during a routine inspection in September. |
| "They are searching our offices," said Osamu Funahashi, a spokesman for the government-owned firm. "We are giving them our full co-operation." Raids were also carried out at several other locations connected with the company. | "They are searching our offices," said Osamu Funahashi, a spokesman for the government-owned firm. "We are giving them our full co-operation." Raids were also carried out at several other locations connected with the company. |
| Television footage showed about a dozen uniformed police entering Nexco Central's headquarters in Nagoya, central Japan, early on Tuesday. | Television footage showed about a dozen uniformed police entering Nexco Central's headquarters in Nagoya, central Japan, early on Tuesday. |
| Japanese media reported heavy traffic on alternative routes in the area, saying that the motorway's closure had begun to affect the flow of goods between Tokyo and the west of the country. | Japanese media reported heavy traffic on alternative routes in the area, saying that the motorway's closure had begun to affect the flow of goods between Tokyo and the west of the country. |
| Police have so far confirmed nine deaths from the accident, which occurred on Sunday morning after suspended concrete slabs worked loose from the tunnel walls and crashed on to three vehicles travelling below. At least one of the vehicles caught fire, creating thick black smoke that billowed from both ends of the tunnel. | Police have so far confirmed nine deaths from the accident, which occurred on Sunday morning after suspended concrete slabs worked loose from the tunnel walls and crashed on to three vehicles travelling below. At least one of the vehicles caught fire, creating thick black smoke that billowed from both ends of the tunnel. |
| About 270 concrete panels, each weighing up to 1.5 tonnes, fell during the accident inside the Sasago tunnel, which links Tokyo with central and western Japan. Huge pieces of concrete were scattered along a 130-metre stretch of the 4.7km (2.9-mile) tunnel. | About 270 concrete panels, each weighing up to 1.5 tonnes, fell during the accident inside the Sasago tunnel, which links Tokyo with central and western Japan. Huge pieces of concrete were scattered along a 130-metre stretch of the 4.7km (2.9-mile) tunnel. |
| The road remained closed while emergency workers resumed their search for victims, while officials said the affected stretch of motorway was unlikely to fully reopen this year. | The road remained closed while emergency workers resumed their search for victims, while officials said the affected stretch of motorway was unlikely to fully reopen this year. |
| The long operation ahead to remove the concrete debris from the road and make the tunnel safe again was expected to cause widespread disruption, particularly as millions of people head to their hometowns ahead of the new year. The tunnel is located along the Chuo expressway, a major artery used by about 47,000 vehicles a day. | The long operation ahead to remove the concrete debris from the road and make the tunnel safe again was expected to cause widespread disruption, particularly as millions of people head to their hometowns ahead of the new year. The tunnel is located along the Chuo expressway, a major artery used by about 47,000 vehicles a day. |
| Rescue workers said they had not ruled out the possibility of finding more bodies, but they did not believe anyone else was still in the tunnel. Recovery work was halted overnight while emergency reinforcements were carried out to prevent further collapses. | Rescue workers said they had not ruled out the possibility of finding more bodies, but they did not believe anyone else was still in the tunnel. Recovery work was halted overnight while emergency reinforcements were carried out to prevent further collapses. |
| The victims included three men and two women, all in their 20s, who were travelling in the same van when it was crushed by falling debris before catching fire. It took three hours to extinguish the blaze. | The victims included three men and two women, all in their 20s, who were travelling in the same van when it was crushed by falling debris before catching fire. It took three hours to extinguish the blaze. |
| The only victim named so far is Tatsuya Nakagawa, a 50-year-old lorry driver who had called a colleague shortly after the accident to ask for help. Some of the other victims were so badly burned it could take days to identify them. | The only victim named so far is Tatsuya Nakagawa, a 50-year-old lorry driver who had called a colleague shortly after the accident to ask for help. Some of the other victims were so badly burned it could take days to identify them. |
| The prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, offered his condolences to the victims' families. | The prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, offered his condolences to the victims' families. |
| "I offer my sincere prayers to those who lost their lives or were injured in this accident," he said. "I have ordered the transport ministry to do everything possible to help the injured and to quickly establish the cause of the accident so that something like this never happens again." | "I offer my sincere prayers to those who lost their lives or were injured in this accident," he said. "I have ordered the transport ministry to do everything possible to help the injured and to quickly establish the cause of the accident so that something like this never happens again." |
| The tragedy is expected to lend greater urgency to the debate over public spending on Japan's infrastructure, much of which was built in the 1960s and 70s, as the country prepares for a general election on 16 December. | The tragedy is expected to lend greater urgency to the debate over public spending on Japan's infrastructure, much of which was built in the 1960s and 70s, as the country prepares for a general election on 16 December. |
| The accident, which occurred about 50 miles west of the Japanese capital, has raised questions over the safety of tunnels of a similar age and design. | The accident, which occurred about 50 miles west of the Japanese capital, has raised questions over the safety of tunnels of a similar age and design. |
| The transport ministry ordered immediate inspections of 49 other motorway and road tunnels, part of a nationwide network of more than 1,500 tunnels that offer motorists an easy route through Japan's mountainous terrain. About a quarter of the tunnels were built more than 30 years ago, the ministry said. | The transport ministry ordered immediate inspections of 49 other motorway and road tunnels, part of a nationwide network of more than 1,500 tunnels that offer motorists an easy route through Japan's mountainous terrain. About a quarter of the tunnels were built more than 30 years ago, the ministry said. |
| Sunday's accident was the worst of its kind since 1996, when a rock slide caused by the collapse of a tunnel in northern Japan engulfed cars and a bus, killing 20 people. | Sunday's accident was the worst of its kind since 1996, when a rock slide caused by the collapse of a tunnel in northern Japan engulfed cars and a bus, killing 20 people. |
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